Eastern Naval Commander Rear Admiral Jayanath Colombage will assume duties as the new Navy Commander on Wednesday replacing Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake, informed sources said.

Prior to the final selection, the names of Rear Admiral Jayanath Colombage , Rear Admiral S. M. B. Weerasekera and Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera were considered by the Ministry of Defence, they said.

Meanwhile Navy Commander Vice Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake who is to retire tomorrow was promoted to the rank of Admiral by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka Navy accorded a 48-member Guard of Honour to the newly-promoted Admiral upon his arrival at the Naval Headquarters yesterday.

Admiral Dissanayake is the 17th naval officer to reach the helm of the Naval Service. He assumed duties as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy on January 15 last year. (Supun Dias)